The rules for this list is the same, a song only has to appear inside the ARIA top 100 singles during the first half of 2017 in order to make this list which means good songs like "The Man" by The Killers do miss out
Let's start with the Honourable mentions...
Honourable mentions
“Want You Back” by HAIM | Peak: 54
Alana, Danielle and Este are back and I should be honest
here, I don’t see “Want You Back” as being anything different to songs from
their debut album “Days Are Gone”. That said this is a good a song about a
woman wanting her lover back despite the relationship falling apart due to the
pair being totally opposite to each other.
“Keep Me Crazy” by Sheppard | Peak: 37
Okay so this may well be a little controversial and I get
some of the criticism that was directed at it but “Keep Me Crazy” is a song
that gets stuck in my head and yeah I kind of connect with what this song is
saying about being in love and wanting to run away with this crazy new love and
yeah I do love the harmonies along with the instrumentation and how the final
bridge builds into that final chorus/outro. It is nothing like “Geronimo”, I
promise you!
“Fresh Eyes” by Andy Grammer | Peak: 5
Now I know this song was released in 2016 BUT it did not
peak on the ARIA chart until late January 2017 so quite honestly it needed to
be included here because it is a good song which makes me wonder why I haven’t
connected to more Andy Grammer songs in recent years. This song has its faults
with the production and being in love with a stranger line really doesn’t wash
but hey it’s an inoffensive pop song that works on some levels at least for me.
“Way Down We Go” by Kaleo | Peak: 30
I feel like rock is making a slow but steady come back
although Finnish band Kaleo really do come off sounding like Hozier rip offs
with “Way Down We Go” but ehh as a rare rock song on the charts. I will damn
well take it and run, that is for sure.
“Humble” by Kendrick Lamar | Peak 2
I put this in largely because I feel like “HUMBLE” is one of
those rare quality hip hop songs that stood out above all the bragging that has
virtually almost become an industry within modern day hip hop music. It’s
probably right that “HUMBLE” isn’t as good as some of the stuff on “To Pimp a
Butterfly” but this song is still hard hitting and Lamar makes his points well.
Given hip hop isn’t having a year to remember, this song is really a saving
grace.
“Jungle” by Tash Sultana | Peak 39
Tash Sultana is one of those artists that I’ll confess I
nearly missed but I am glad I did finally catch on because “Jungle” is a
fantastic song from start to finish and her voice just elevates the song to
something that I don’t think I can imagine any other artist singing. It just
works as a pop song.
So now to our top ten…
10. “It Ain’t Me” by Kygo feat. Selena Gomez
There’s going to be a couple of songs from artists you would
not expect to find in a top 10 best hits especially from me and “It Ain’t Me”
is one of them, literally because the production suits Selena Gomez limited
range and works so well against Kygo’s production and to be honest, it’s the
best thing Selena has done in a LONG time.
9. “Adore” by Amy Shark | Peak: 3
A song that suffered for being around at the same time as
when Ed Sheeran decided to unleash two songs at once totally dominate the
charts early in 2017 for weeks on end but yeah, Adore is just the sweetest song
complete with a brutal honesty in the lyrics from Amy Shark which also is
something that winds its way through her NightThinker EP.
8. Slide by Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos | Peak: 11
The remarkable highlight of 2017 has been the emergence of
Calvin Harris as producing something more than generic EDM bangers as per “This
is What You Come for” with Rihanna last year, this time around he pulled in
Frank Ocean and Migos for a song that shouldn’t work but somehow works in a way
you almost don’t expect. “Slide” is the ultimately the best song of the four
that he has released from Funk Wave Bounces Vol. 1 and yeah, it’s a song I keep
coming back to.
7. Water Under the
Bridge by Adele | Peak: 23
A song about a relationship getting serious and Adele being
frightened by the seriousness of the feelings in this relationship just hits
nerves I didn’t know I had. The instrumentation works as does Adele’s vocals in
quite the powerful way. Really get into this song every time I hear it. Not
quite the best song from 25 but pretty damn close too.
6. Slow Hands by Niall Horan | Peak: 2
Bit lower down because I am struggling to overcome the
“Sweat dripping down our dirty laundry” line which is all kinds of gross but
still “Slow Hands” is a pretty great song delivered with a lot of maturity.
Niall more so than Harry has been the break out star of One Direction which has
surprised a lot of people apart from myself…just look at “This Town”. I just
love the guitar in this song though.
5. Green Light by Lorde
No one should have been expecting Lorde to recreate
something similar to Pure Heroine for her sophomore album especially not now
that she is four years older and wiser. “Green Light” was the perfect way to start
the “Melodrama” era. A song about Lorde’s first heartache and man, did she ever
nail that return. Welcome back, Ella!
4. “I Feel It Coming” by The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk | Peak:
9
The Weeknd isn’t one of those artists that I am naturally
drawn too…at least until he released Starboy and hell yeah, I loved this song
which yet again combines with Daft Punk. A silky retro sounding song that just
gets you slow dancing. Speaking of slow grooves….
3. “That’s What I like” by Bruno Mars | Peak: 5
Another artist who really hasn’t been my cup of tea until he
dropped the retro sounding 24k Magic album (it’s a crime it’s so short) and this
song just makes me sing-a-long. Should have been a bigger hit in Australia but
with “Versace on the Floor”, I guess there’s still a chance Bruno Mars will
have a massive hit on his hands.
2. “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton | Peak: 70
This will make some people roll their eyes at me…what’s a genuine country song doing so high up this list? but as far as country songs go, this
one is close to perfect…at least as a cover goes. “Tennessee Whiskey” was
originally by George Jones whose original is still excellent but damn Stapleton
does a good job here, manages to make it all sound extremely raw and emotional
which is odd for a song that’s virtually about alcohol but perhaps those listening to Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" should give this a listen to hear what REAL country music is like.
1. “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran | Peak: 2
I am pissed Ed Sheeran didn’t make this the lone first up
single from “Divide” rather than letting get lost in amidst the hype for “Shape
of You” largely because “Castle on the Hill” is so much better in that it draws
on his past and tells a story that draws on the heart strings along with instrumentation that could have been a U2 song only less sharper and not as edgy as U2 at their best. It’s clearly the
best song from “Divide” but yet again this should have been the lone release as
lead off single!
